Uganda travel guide

Visitors come to Uganda for the endangered mountain gorilla - but what really ends up capturing their hearts is the warmth of the Ugandan people, the breathtaking volcanic scenery and the safaris by road and river - cruising down hippo filled lakes and glimpsing a stalking lioness against an African sunset. Our Uganda travel guide reveals how to plan your holiday to this often overlooked nation.

Uganda travel guide

Safe, small and with a perpetually springlike climate, Uganda is a real treat when it comes to African travel. But it packs a lot in for its size. Ten national parks protect over half of the world’s mountain gorillas, along with chimpanzees, rare golden monkeys and a classic safari checklist including leopards, lions, elephants and hippos. Over 1,000 species of birds – more than 10 percent of all the world’s species – inhabit its mountains, forests, wetlands and the shores of Lake Victoria, the long-sought source of the Nile. The rugged ‘Mountains of the Moon’ include Africa’s third highest peak, complete with equatorial snow.

Uganda's national bird is the striking, grey crowned crane. It's characteristics are said to resemble those of the Ugandan people: elegant, loyal, strong – and rather fond of dancing.

Uganda remains very much a tribal nation, and as you travel round this compact country, the music, dance and dress change almost by the hour – there are over 40 recognised languages. But one word you’ll hear wherever you are – from guides, waiters, drivers and roadside corn sellers – is “Welcome!” – along with “mzungu!” – a friendly term for “foreigner”.

WHAT WE RATE & WHAT WE DON'T

Underrated

Chimp tracking

Chimpanzees inhabit several of Uganda’s protected forests, the most popular of which is Kibale – which shelters a total of 13 primate species including some 1,500 chimps. You can also track chimps in Budongo, where they are best seen from Feb-Sep; and the stunning “underground” forest of Kyambura, set in a deep, mist-filled gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Rwenzori Mountains

The “Mountains of the Moon” form an impenetrable, rocky chain along Uganda’s western edge, perpetually capped with snow, clouds and fog. Walks in the foothills reveal clear streams, lush vegetation and thriving villages; longer expeditions take you through otherworldy Afromontane forest, bamboo and giant heathers, with the option to summit Margherita Peak – Africa’s third highest, at 5,109m.

Culture

Uganda might lack the big name tribes of other African countries: the statuesque Maasai, for example, or the photogenic Himba. But it’s hard not to fall in love with Ugandan culture. Spend an evening being treated to cultural performances at Kampala’s Ndere Centre; learn to grind millet, “mingle” porridge over a fire, or play the stringed adungu – and enjoy joyful song and dance in each new region of the country that you visit.

Wheelchair accessible

If you have mobility issues or rely on a wheelchair, that's no obstacle to seeing Uganda's primates. Wheelchair accessible gorilla and chimp tracking tours involve being carried into the forests in a throne chair. You'll have had more comfortable journeys, but rarely such an amazing destination.

Rated

Gorilla tracking

Uganda is home to over half of the earth’s 850 or so mountain gorillas, and most of these live in the mist-shrouded forests of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Tracking one of the 11 habituated families is Uganda’s most compelling activity, as a 2-6 hour trek up the steep slopes of the Rift Valley culminates in an eye-to-eye encounter with one of our closest relatives, lasting up to an hour.

Murchison Falls

This waterfall is created by the River Nile squeezing itself through a 7m-wide gap – with all the spray and thunder you would expect. Boat cruises downriver take you past eles and hippos to admire the falls – or trek to the top if you’re up for a soaking. The surrounding national park is Uganda’s largest, with miles and miles of open savannah to explore, filled with lion, buffalo, elephant and more.

Game drives

Far too many tourists come to Uganda for the gorillas – then fly straight out to see the Big Five in Kenya. Ugandan safaris are set against stunning backdrops of volcanic craters and lakes. Walking, driving and boat safaris are possible in many national parks, and the smaller distances mean you can cover plenty of ground. Four of the Big Five can be seen in the wild – with rhinos present in Ziwa Sanctuary.

Overlanding

Uganda is centrally located, and tucked in between the vast savannah game parks of Tanzania and Kenya, and the gorilla-inhabited forests of Rwanda. East Africa overland tours can combine great apes with traditional safaris and time spent on the beach, exploring how the cultures and landscapes change from country to country. Or for hardcore adventure – travel from Cairo to Cape Town, via Uganda.

Overrated

Pygmy tours

The Batwa are Uganda’s most marginalised community. Evicted from their forest home over two decades ago when it became a national park, the Batwa remain landless and incredibly impoverished. Unscrupulous companies have cashed in on their desperation, offering tasteless “pygmy tours” where they perform on demand. Seek out ethical tours that involve the Batwa at every level to avoid exploitation.

The equator

Every visitor to Uganda (this writer included) has a photo of themselves straddling the equator in the giant concrete “O” that marks the spot. Chances are you’ll cross this line at some point, so there’s no harm stopping off – but it’s not worth spending more than a few minutes here unless you are really keen to visit the touristy souvenir shops, or pay to watch someone pour water down a sink in the name of ‘science’.

Orphanage tourism

Every year, well meaning volunteers and tourists descend on Africa to visit orphanages – handing out gifts, singing songs and giving cuddles. It all seems rather lovely – until you start reading up on the harm that this type of tourism can cause. If you want to make a difference to children’s lives, look into helping out at after school clubs – or healthcare volunteering if you have the necessary skills.

Speed & efficiency

T.I.A.: This is Africa. You’ll hear this on your Uganda holiday, as well as numerous mentions of ‘Africa Time’, prepare yourself for both. Things always work out just fine in Uganda, they just don’t always happen on schedule, or even quite as anticipated. The crazy roads take care of that, as do the sudden equatorial downpours, and the ‘load shedding’ – regular power cuts which are, thankfully, becoming less frequent.

FOOD, SHOPPING & PEOPLE

Eating & drinking in Uganda

Carbs are big here – expect traditional dishes to consist of thick, sticky posho (maize flour paste) or matooke (ground plantain) which you use to mop up sauce – often made with peanuts (called g-nuts or groundnuts)

The Indian influence is strong in Uganda – with tasty curry sauces accompanying veg, chicken or goat.

Rolex is the local street food. It’s a kind of omelette rolled up in a chapatti – literally 'rolled eggs'.

If someone says they’re off for a ‘short call’, don’t expect them to be on the phone – it means they’re going to the loo! This is a useful phrase to know.

People & language

Uganda’s central location and fertile land have lured many cultures here for centuries: the Bantu to the east, the forest-dwelling Batwa in the south (one of the country’s oldest tribes), Indians and Arabs from the coast and the Nilotic Acholi and Karamoja people of the northern deserts. Some 40-60 languages are spoken and many more dialects, with English often a lingua franca for people of different regions to communicate. Luganda is the most common local language; here are a few words to get you started:

Gifts & shopping

Coffee is Uganda’s number one export. Buy a bag of beans from the excellent Good African Coffee, grown, processed and packaged in Uganda – meaning all income stays in the country.

The craft market in Kampala is a great place for wood carvings, beads, cowhorn and other souvenirs – but much of these are imported. Try and buy from communities on your way around Uganda to support local craftspeople.

Banana Boat has three outlets in Kampala. They source high quality crafts from around the country, including bark cloth crafts, banana fibre mats and handmade paper stationery. They support a number of local initiatives.

Rows of oil drums, aluminium sheets and powerful bulbs are set up during the rainy season to catch grasshoppers, called nsenene. Try them deep fried with chilli.

How much does it cost?

500ml bottle of Nile Gold lager in a bar: £2.30

Ugandan lunch in local restaurant: £1.30

Gorilla tracking permit: US$600 (sometimes available for $450 in Apr, May & Nov)

Dinner for two at an international restaurant: £30

Boda boda ride in the city: £1.50

A brief History of Uganda

Uganda’s fertile red earth, its lovely climate and its location – on the equator, yet over 1,00m above sea level, in the Great Rift Valley – mean it has lured settlers from across Africa for millennia, with human activity here dating back 50,000 to 100,000 years. Yet despite so many tribes and ethnicities cramming into this rather small country, cultural distinctions remain, and today’s visitors will encounter the agricultural descendants of Bantu tribes, the more nomadic, pastoral descendents of Nilotic tribes and the forest-dwelling Batwa pygmies, who have only recently left the gorilla-inhabited forests of the south. Read more

For many centuries, the region now known as Uganda was divided into kingdoms, ruled by tribal chiefs. Kingdoms such as Buganda were highly organised, with powerful armies, walled cities and tax collection systems. Away from the coast, it remained unexplored by Europeans, Asians and Arabs until the mid-19th century, when ivory supplies along the coast became severely depleted, and Arab traders began to venture further inland. The Buganda traded their ivory for cloth and firearms, while in the north, the Achioli cattle herders sold their ivory to the Egyptians, and international trade began to spread. While the Arabs made attempts to introduce Islam, British explorers brought Protestantism, converting the Buganda king and establishing missions across the region. Soon after, the French brought Catholicism, and a religious civil war soon ensued, as Muslim, Protestant and Catholic converts all fought for control.

At the end of the 19th century, the Protestants wrested control, and the British began to lay claim to this land. Some tribes relinquished control through signed agreements, others were defeated by mercenaries, and the loyal Baganda people were rewarded with a doubling of their territory, heightening tribal frictions. Uganda became a British Protectorate, in which power was placed largely in the hands of local chiefs. This became a form of colonialism-within-colonialism, as these chiefs were almost all Baganda, and they imposed their language, Luganda, as well as their dress, traditions and religion on other tribes.

The Uganda Railway which stretched across Kenya to the Indian Ocean opened up the possibilities for exports. Cotton, and later sugarcane, were grown on vast plantations, money began to pour in and literacy rates soared with the increase in Christian missions. But while Ugandan peasants laboured in the fields, the colonial government favoured Indian intermediaries for processing and selling the crops, locking Africans out of any positions of management or control, and unrest grew.

Riots flared up in 1949, as the Ugandans demanded the removal of the Asian monopoly and the right to choose their own representatives in government. The British began to take steps towards planning for independence, but the still-tribal Ugandans were even less keen to be governed centrally by Buganda than they were by the British, especially given the disastrous transitions in Kenya and Rhodesia. Political and tribal factions argued and boycotted, but independence was pushed through and in 1962 Milton Obote, head of the Ugandan People’s Congress (UPC) was voted in, and became Prime Minister of the newly independent Uganda later that year.

It didn’t take him long to become power crazed. In 1966, he proclaimed Uganda a republic, abolished the tribal kingdoms and assumed total control of this new nation. Five years later, Obote’s former ally Idi Amin Dada mounted a military coup and overthrew Obote. Ruling the country alongside the military, he maintained power through force and terror, killing an anywhere between 100,000 and 300,000 Ugandans, and removing over half a million Indians from the country, destroying the economy. He persecuted the northern Acholi and Langi tribespeople in particular, due to their support for Obote. After eight years in power, during which time he virtually destroyed the country, Amin fled to Libya as Tanzanian troops – along with Ugandan exiles – fought a liberation war and captured Kampala. Obote returned to the presidency for a further six years – though his human rights record was barely any better than Amin’s, as he attempted to get rid of insurgencies led by Yoweri Museveni. Obote was once again overthrown, and Museveni seized power in 1986 – he remains president of Uganda to this day. Museveni’s presidency sparked armed resistance in the far north, however, with a 20-year civil war fought by the Lord’s Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony, notorious for the horrific abduction of children from across the region, who were then forced into becoming guerrilla fighters for the LRA. But most of Uganda seems to have resigned itself to Museveni remaining in power until his death. While his presidency has been marred by corruption and living standards have improved little over the last three decades, many Ugandans have been content to have Museveni as their leader as he is not a bloodthirsty tyrant like Amin or Obote – the only other leaders most Ugandans have ever known. While there are problems with infrastructure, water supplies, electricity and education, it seems that most Ugandans have settled for peace over possible turmoil.